The “Carving in Three Styles: One Woodblock, Multiple Impressions” exhibition is being held at the Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Macau, showcasing the woodblock print works of artists Hsu Yi Hsuan, Lam King Ting and Mel Cheong Hoi I.
The exhibition features 55 woodblock prints, a special category among print materials and is the “most time-honoured print category”, that were created by the three artists in three different multifaceted crafting techniques, according to a recent statement from the organisers.
The statement noted that Taiwanese artist Hsu uses oil-based woodblock prints and a western printing press to create reduction printing, adding that her New Year painting depicts different animals living in a “carefree fantasy land” that is reminiscent of Taiwan’s countryside landscape.
According to Wikipedia, reduction printing is a type of colour printing by working the same block in a series of print runs, each just printing one colour.
Lam, who is from Hong Kong, uses carefully chosen relief wood from mills in Taiwan and is printed in monochrome by western printing techniques, the statement said, and focuses on trees and flowers. His works reflect the “strong desire” to get close to nature, which is due to his childhood in the bustling city.
The statement added that Cheong, a local artist and the exhibition’s curator, uses traditional water-based printmaking and prints in polychrome with a baren, a disc-like hand tool with a flat bottom and a knotted handle used in Japanese woodblock printing, according to Wikipedia. Her works portray city architecture and “animals forgotten in the concrete forest of modern cities” such as stray animals.
The works can be found on the third-floor gallery until April 2. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Tuesdays. Admission is free. Enquiries can be made by contacting the Macau Woodblock Print Association on 6664 8809 or by emailing macauwp@gmail.com.
Photos taken yesterday by Rui Pastorin
